An Examination of the Locus of Illness Control Scale Using Data Collected in Brazil and Appalachia

(From the Introduction) In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that the prevention and cure of disease can no longer be viewed as the province of the physician alone. The patient plays as much or more of a role in his or her health status as the medical professional, and the behavior of the patient is a vital force in health care. All the efforts of the medical profession can to waste if the patient does not play a recovering role. Yet some individuals are far more willing than others to cooperate in the maintenance of their health. It becomes necessary under these conditions to determine what forces are at work to create and maintain differences in health-seeking behavior.